Time with Cousin Seth

After tennis camp, we met up with Aunt Julia and Cousin Seth in Santa Monica.  It was great to see Seth... I can't believe how tall he is and how much he has matured!  He could climb all the ropes and he was helping Noah climb the kiddie ropes.  It was a nice afternoon and we hope to see them again soon... when will that be???

Speech with Debra

Today was Noah's last speech session with Debra.  She has been helping Noah for the past few months and it's time to say goodbye.  Noah needed some support with three sounds (k,g, and s) and she worked wonders.  He hit all his speech goals and she said he was one of the quickest kids that met their speech goals.  Noah really enjoyed all the speech games he played and I think he will miss her and her pumpkin prize box.  How will Noah do in Kindergarten???

Wild Wonders

We went to an animal show called Wild Wonders at the Santa Monica Library.  The animal presentation showed many different animals such as crocodiles, possums, snakes, and a kinkajou.  Micah was chosen with a few other kids to touch the kinkajou and he was thrilled.  Will he want to work with animals when he gets older???

Tennis

Noah and Kaitlyn are in tennis camp this week.  They are both enjoying their time there.  Noah seems to like it a lot and according to Kaitlyn, "he is the best player."  It must be nice to have a fan, huh???

Let's go fly a kite

We went to Seal Beach with Bubbe and Aunt Julia.  We all had a very nice time.  The boys liked flying kites with Aunt Julia and playing in the waves.  They are looking forward to going back to her house in Reno... when will we visit???

Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook

While Noah was in Gymnastics camp, Micah and I spent some time at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook.  Micah counted the stairs as we went up and he got to 32 before he wanted to turn around.  What will we do tomorrow???

Gymnastics camp

Noah and his good friend were in Gymnastics Camp all week.  Noah worked on his coordination, motor development, and he got to enjoy the gymnastics equipment.  Noah loved tumbling and jumping in the pit.  This was his first all day camp (9-3) so he was very tired when he got home!  How will Noah react when he's in Kindergarten all day???

7

This morning we went back to the exact spot we were married (7-24-05).  7 years!  We once thought that we would come back to Shutters on the Beach and re-create the moment... eat the same dinner (or get as close as we could) and spend time there.  But in reality, we took the picture and then left to eat lunch at Gjelina Take Away.  For our anniversary, Jawsh and I ate at Manhattan Beach Post.  It was definitely not the most romantic spot, but we really loved the food!  Where will we go next year???

Levitated Mass

Jawsh took the boys to check out Levitated Mass at LACMA.  Michael Heizer created this 456 foot long slot with a 340 ton granite megalith.  This piece demonstrates the expanse of art history from ancient traditions of creating artworks from megalith stone to modern forms of abstract geometry.  Noah and Micah were impressed by the size of the rock and Jawsh liked the idea but not the execution.  When will I get over to LACMA???

AYSO International Day

Today's theme was International Day, so the boys wore their South Korea soccer shirts and represented!  Don't they look so cute???

AYSO

Noah and Micah are in soccer camp this week with coaches from the United Kingdom.  The boys really enjoy camp and Noah is thrilled that his coach is named Lloyd (which is the name of a green ninja in the Ninjago series).  What will they learn???

Sewing 101

I signed up for a sewing class with a friend, which is something that I always wanted to learn.  I have learned not to refer to "thread" as "string" and it's been fun sewing on a machine.  We had to pick out our fabric for our new skirts and of course, I chose black.  Perhaps the next class I should take should be one about incorporating more color???

Hollywood Bowl Summer Sounds

The Hollywood Bowl Summer Sounds is such a fun event.  I can't believe that I never took the kids here before!  The boys got to do a Reggae inspired art activity and afterwards they go to watch a Reggae show with David Kirton.  It was a very vibrant set and the boys loved the character of Mr. Kay (a grumpy neighbor who ends up falling in love with music).  The next show will be based on Filipino music with Dulce Capadocia, will the boys like that show as much as the Reggae???

Bye Vegas

We enjoyed our stay at the MGM Signature because all the suites have kitchens and it is a non-gaming hotel so the kids were not exposed to the casinos.  We also like the salt water pool (better than chlorine) but also like having the option to use the MGM pools which have waterfalls and a Lazy River.  Here is a great picture of the kiddos, right???

Lied Discovery Children Museum

Today we went to the Lied Discovery Children's Museum.  There are over 100 interactive exhibits.  The kids loved the Smith's grocery store play area, the bubbles, and the hurricane simulator.  The kids got to watch a demo on how to make ice cream and then the best part was when the docent passed it out for them to try.  The boys loved hanging out with Sophie and Daphne.  What a great way to beat the heat, don't you think???

Las Vegas

Our annual summer trip to Vegas... the boys have been looking forward to seeing their cousins, sleeping at a hotel, and the opportunity to play their DS (we only allow DS playing on long trips).  My cousins from Colorado and Texas flew in and it was really nice to see them.  Here is a picture of Sophie and Micah... two very cute kids, wouldn't you say???

Independence Day

This year we stayed in LA to celebrate the 4th.  We met up with some of Jawsh's friends from elementary school (Tripps and Willis) and some friends from preschool.  We sat in the park, ate dinner, and watched the fireworks from the country club across the street.  I made patriotic cupcakes (Martha Stewart cupcakes lined with blueberries and raspberries to look like a flag) and the kids ran around with light sticks and their faces painted.  It was a lot of fun, but I did miss my family.  What will we do next year???

Beverly Hills Country Club

My friends and I bought week long passes to BHCC so we could use the swimming pools for the week.  This was one of the best ways to spend the day as the boys loved to hop in and out of the pools (2 feet and 3.5 feet pools) and play in the game rooms (which were completely free).  It was so nice to see the kids swimming and having so much fun.  Will we head back next summer???